View full sizeAnthony, left, and Terry Jackson loved to serve others through the food pantry ministry at West Huntsville United Methodist Church -- where they were fatally attacked on Tuesday, May 21, 2013. That legacy of service will be carried on by the congregation, say members, who are collecting money to cover the cost of burial for the men. (Courtesy of West Huntsville Methodist Church)

HUNTVSILLE, Alabama - They had no property, sometimes no food, no job, and not a diploma between them, but Terry and Anthony Jackson leave behind a priceless legacy of generosity and service to others in the neighborhood around West Huntsville United Methodist Church, 3104 Ninth Ave. S.W., in Huntsville, their friends say.

"I have known them to be hungry, to be given food - and then to turn around and give it away," said the Rev. Cody Gilliam, who was pastor of the congregation from 2009 to 2011.

Gilliam, who met with reporters at the church Wednesday afternoon along with current West Huntsville Pastor Cheryl Blankenship, looked around the simple white-walled sanctuary as he struggled to control his voice.

"I don't know how I'll do this funeral," Gilliam said, mashing his eyes with his fingers to push back a sudden wave of tears. "They never met anyone who wasn't a friend - they would help those who hurt them."

They loved helping others, Blankenship said.

"They loved God. They loved serving others through the pantry," Blankenship said. "They died on a happy day of their lives. They were about to share a meal with other volunteers - and they were two single guys who didn't cook much so they loved fellowship meals. I think they were as happy as they could be."

That selfless joy is what she'll remember most and what she'll celebrate in Friday's funeral, she said. The funeral will be held at the church Friday, May 24, 2013, with the time yet to be arranged.

View full sizeThe Rev. Cheryl Blankenship, pastor of West Huntsville United Methodist Church, adjusts the arrangement in front of the church at 3104 Ninth Ave. in Huntsville where Terry and Anthony Jackson were fatally attacked on Tuesday, May 21, 2013, as they prepared to help serve in the church's food pantry. Their legacy of service will be carried on by the congregation, members say. (Kay Campbell / KCampbell@al.com)

Hurting helpers

Those who know the Jackson brothers, who were 76 and 69, assume the person who attacked them was someone who had been helped at the pantry.

The attack came an estimated 30 minutes before another volunteer arrived to help with the pantry Tuesday morning. The Jackson brothers had arrived early to clean the church, as was their custom on Tuesdays.

Police have said they are looking for a black man in his 40s who was seen leaving the church at the estimated time of the attack. He may be injured. Police found a knife near the church that they believe was used in the attack.

Anyone with information is invited to call the police at 256-722-7100.

"If you came here for help, you came to the right place to get help," Blankenship said in a statement directed at the attacker that she gave to area television reporters. "But you wound up hurting the people who could help you the most."

Gilliam and Blankenship will lead the funeral together on Friday at the church. The time will be announced later. In lieu of flowers, they suggest donations for the church's food pantry - which is where the two brothers had been volunteering on Tuesday morning when someone apparently attacked them with a knife.

Anthony, who was severely handicapped by cerebral palsy, died at the scene. Terry, who had looked after his brother all of his adult life, died later at the hospital.

Part of the service at the church on Sunday, May 26, 2013, which will begin at 11 a.m., will be to re-consecrate the church and the congregation for its ministry, which is more than 100 years old, in the neighborhood, Blankenship said. The church choir loft will have two empty chairs in the back row where the brothers had sat side-by-side every Sunday.

"The worst thing we could do is to be afraid or not to go back out in this community and help," Blankenship said. "Terry and Anthony were not afraid. They were the purest form of Christian that I have ever met. They found great joy in working for the food pantry because they felt like they could help someone in worst circumstances than they are."

The church pantry will be open, as usual, on Tuesday afternoon, Blankenship said.

Helping with funeral costs

Church members and Methodist pastors around the North Alabama Conference are donating to a fund to help pay for the cost of burial of the men. Donations can be mailed to:

Jackson Memorial Fund

West Huntsville United Methodist Church

3104 Ninth Ave. S.W.

Huntsville, Ala. 35805

Any funds in excess than what it costs to bury the men will be used for the congregation's ministry to the hungry in the neighborhood, Blankenship said.

Donations can also be brought to the church, which is always open on Tuesdays from noon to 3 p.m. to offer food to the hungry in the neighborhood, and on Sundays from 9:30 a.m. until after 12 for Sunday services.

People who want to help can also contact her directly to meet them at the church, Blankenship said. Her phone number is 256-457-8482.